Weather brings tornado warning, downed trees, lane closures

Baltimore County was under a tornado warning for about 30 minutes Sunday afternoon, and the Eastern Shore is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m., the National Weather Service said on Sunday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Lee said on Sunday that a tornado warning was issued at 2:19 p.m for southeastern Baltimore County, after rotation on the Doppler radar indicated a tornado near North Point State Park moving southeast at 15 mph. The warning expired at 2:45 p.m. and Lee said there was no report of the tornado touching ground.

The NWS issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties until 9 p.m., after tracking convection over West Virginia moving east.

The warnings were among many reports issued by state and national officials as severe weather made its way thorugh the area Sunday afternoon, leaving down trees, high water and fallen debris in its wake. Alerts issued by the NWS Sunday also covered areas including Talbot, Charles and St. Marys counties.

An accident briefly closed the southbound lanes of Jones Falls Expressway, Baltimore police said, adding a warning for drivers to slow down and to avoid driving through high water.

The state Department of Transportation reported that road debris forced lane closures on the inner loop of the Beltway in Baltimore County at North Point Boulevard and at Edmondson Avenue.

In Howard County, high water forced a lane closure of MD 103 South/Roosevelt Blvd at 3:30 p.m. Earlier, debris forced lane closure of eastbound US 40 at Bethany Lane, officials said.